1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a state-of-exercise measuring apparatus configured to measure a state of exercise of a user and a biometric apparatus which allows acquisition of biological data as well as the state of exercise.
2. Description of Related Art
Exercises such as muscular strength training for various objectives such as for the health maintenance and improvement (for example, fatness solution and prevention and solution of lack of exercise) or for improvement of muscular strength for various athletic events are often performed. As an example of such exercises, there is an exercise so called squat in which bending and stretching exercises of knees are repeatedly continued. The adequate speed, the magnitude or the number of times of bending and stretching movement of hand and foot are different depending on the objective or the age of exercisers, so that the exercisers are respectively needed to pay attention to do the exercises adequately. However, even though the exerciser pays an attention to do the exercises adequately, there are cases where the speed of movement is reduced or the magnitude of the bending and stretching movement of hand and foot is reduced after the repetition of the exercise, for example, due to fatigue. In contrast, there is a case where the speed or the number of times of the exercises is increased more than necessary with strain. Therefore, means for supporting the exercise adequate for the exerciser objectively is necessary, and adequate measurement of kinetic energy consumed by the exercise (consumed calories) is also required.
As such means, by using a triaxial acceleration sensor as used in various body movement detecting apparatuses proposed in recent years (for example, JP-A-2002-191580), the number of times of the repetitive and continuous exercises may be counted and, in addition, by combining the counted value and biological data such as the age or the weight, the energy consumed by the exercise may be calculated according to the counted value.
However, when an acceleration sensor is used, the number of times of the exercises as described above is counted, but whether the exercises are done repeatedly at a certain ideal speed or not, or whether the magnitude of the bending and stretching exercises is sufficiently large or not cannot be detected. Although the acceleration sensor detects whether the body movement is occurred or not, it cannot detect whether the posture standing on one leg in an exercise to maintain the posture standing on one leg is maintained or not, or whether a predetermined body weight shift is done in the exercise to shift the body weight (center of gravity).
As other means, doing the exercise while confirming a video shot by a video camera on a monitor or the like is considered. However, the apparatus is upsized, and inconveniences such as cost increase or troublesome setting cannot be avoided.